Holy cow! Men in tights turn out to be gay

DC Comics, Britain's largest publisher of comic books and the global brand name behind Superman and Batman, has introduced gay superheroes for the first time in a bid to attract new readers.

In a radical departure from traditional storylines, where the superhero always gets the girl, the new issue of The Authority features two gay male superheroes - Apollo and the Midnighter - who marry and adopt a child.

A spokesperson for DC Comics said: 'British lifestyles are changing and we are keen that our comic books should reflect that shift. It is important that the comics should mirror the values of those who read them.'

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell applauded the decision. 'The positive gay storylines in these comics will help undermine homophobic prejudice and boost the self-esteem of gay kids,' he said. 'This could have a tremendously beneficial effect on the mental and emotional health of teenagers who are struggling to come to terms with their homosexuality. It shows honesty, diversity and acceptance in the comic book genre.'

Gay characters have always been shunned in the world of tights-clad super-heroes, but ambiguous homosexual supporting characters have recently appeared in bestselling comic books as wide-ranging as The Incredible Hulk, Star Trek and The Green Lantern. These days, Superman works with a lesbian policewoman in Metropolis, and earlier this year a major gay character called Northstar joined the line-up of the X-Men team.

Yet the perceived homo-erotic subtext of gay comic books can be traced back to the Fifties. In 1954 American psychiatrist Dr Frederick Wertham published The Seduction of the Innocent, a tract that blamed comic books such as Superman and Wonder Woman for juvenile delinquency. The 400-page book pointed out that Batman and Robin 'live in sumptuous quarters, with beautiful flowers in a large vase and have a butler, Alfred. Batman is sometimes shown in a dressing gown... the young boy sometimes worries about his partner. It is like a wish dream of two homosexuals living together.'

Joe Fludd, a gay artist for Quantum Comics, said: 'Most comic book companies still have a tendency to play it safe. They don't want to upset too many people, but I think readers are much more accepting these days. And they want comic books to reflect the diversity of life. So they seem to be coming round to the idea of strong gay central characters.'

Gay writers, artists and fans have formed a support organisation, the Gay League, to further the cause of homosexual superheroes. But Los Angeles comic artist Michael Troy, whose character Homo Hero wears a rainbow-coloured thong, said: 'I don't want to have to limit myself by always bringing over issues of social equality. Comics should first and foremost always tell a good story.

Gay equality apart, there is also a dearth of black, Asian, Jewish and elderly characters in comic books. Troy said: Most of the characters are obviously going to have to be your typical white, straight male, because that's the main comic-buying audience and the larger publishers have a tendency to not want to upset their readership.

'I always try to subvert that notion. I mean, if you have gay characters, they should be openly gay.'